Using Glitter Foam for hairpins, necklaces, and badges
Glitter Foam comes in sparkly foam sticker sheets that you can cut up and use for practically everything. Personally, I have used them for hair clips (that I also use for badges) and necklaces, as well as decorating a birthday card or two.
(Pictured: glitter foam used for a pin, hair clip, and necklace)
Thankfully, since it's seen as a children's craft material, it's relatively affordable and can be found at craft stores and Walmart.
Even buying a 12 pack of this stuff can offer a huge amount of material to work with for badges and hairpins, especially if what you want to make isn't that large.
Today, I'll be covering how to make a hairpin, a badge, and a necklace!
For each they all begin with the same step:
1. Design Creating a design with the foam can be really fun, and since it has a few centimeters of thickness, layering effects work really nicely! I would stay close to two or three layers though, having too many may distract from the original concept of the design. ♡♡On the back of the foam is a layer of sticker paper since the foam has an adhesive backing-- You can use this to draw on your design for cutting! The glitter foam can be cut using a pair of scissors so that part is relatively simple.
2. Assembly
When assembling your design together, i recommend having some glue to the side, either craft glue or super glue; the adhesive on the foam is either a hit or miss, meaning it either works really well or is almost non-existent.
❤A. For the hair clip, have either a Barrett clip ready (you can buy packs online for as low as $2 or in the store for $2-$5) or a hair clip! Before you glue it on to the clip, apply a backing to the foam, such as a thin cardboard or card stock--basically something stable that can support the foam and make sure it stays stiff!
♥Tip!♥ When I glue a nonmetal and a metal together, I use a simple trick--I lay super glue on the clip backing and the hair clip, then in squish a piece of cotton fabric in between them! The fibers of the cotton in between the metal and nonmetal really make for an extremely secure hold has been the secret to the clips holding up for as long as they do! Make sure the clip is in the position for gluing a let dry, then go to step 3!
❤B. The badge is about the same as the hair clip, but for cheap and sturdy badges I use a big safety pin for my backing (but use a size that doesn't stick out from behind your badge). For the glue, I use the same technique as with hair clips; super glue on each side and a piece of cotton fabric in between! Make sure to hold the safety pin perpendicular to the badge while drying so it sticks out, or adjust as you like! For extra support, I'd suggest laying a small strip of foam across the side of the pin that's attached to the badge, just as extra security to hold it in place!
❤C. For the necklace, I usually put it on a sheet of thinner plastic material to give it a floating look, though you can make the necklace with cardboard and just put a hole where you'd like to attach a jumper ring or a chain! For the plastic, I use plastic from product packaging, and to put it into perspective, I mostly use plastic from products that have a big window to display what's inside, so it's sturdy, thin, and very clear! Make sure that you leave room for the holes that you will use to attach it to a chain! Use the adhesive backing in your foam design or glue to stick it to the plastic (for the glue, don't worry so much about the mess, you can lightly scrape off extra dried glue with your finger nail). Use a sewing needle to carefully poke hole(s) where you need them! For my necklaces I give away or sell, I connect them with jump rings, but when it comes to my personal use, usually just sew it on to what I'm using!
♥Tip!♥ When I glue a nonmetal and a metal together, I use a simple trick--I lay super glue on the clip backing and the hair clip, then in squish a piece of cotton fabric in between them! The fibers of the cotton in between the metal and nonmetal really make for an extremely secure hold has been the secret to the clips holding up for as long as they do! Make sure the clip is in the position for gluing a let dry, then go to step 3!
❤B. The badge is about the same as the hair clip, but for cheap and sturdy badges I use a big safety pin for my backing (but use a size that doesn't stick out from behind your badge). For the glue, I use the same technique as with hair clips; super glue on each side and a piece of cotton fabric in between! Make sure to hold the safety pin perpendicular to the badge while drying so it sticks out, or adjust as you like! For extra support, I'd suggest laying a small strip of foam across the side of the pin that's attached to the badge, just as extra security to hold it in place!
❤C. For the necklace, I usually put it on a sheet of thinner plastic material to give it a floating look, though you can make the necklace with cardboard and just put a hole where you'd like to attach a jumper ring or a chain! For the plastic, I use plastic from product packaging, and to put it into perspective, I mostly use plastic from products that have a big window to display what's inside, so it's sturdy, thin, and very clear! Make sure that you leave room for the holes that you will use to attach it to a chain! Use the adhesive backing in your foam design or glue to stick it to the plastic (for the glue, don't worry so much about the mess, you can lightly scrape off extra dried glue with your finger nail). Use a sewing needle to carefully poke hole(s) where you need them! For my necklaces I give away or sell, I connect them with jump rings, but when it comes to my personal use, usually just sew it on to what I'm using!
3. Protection
As you are most likely aware of by this stage--this glitter falls off the foam pretty easily, just like most glitter products! A thin layer of mod podge will do the trick, and allow a solid 10 minutes for it to dry (I would say longer, but I'm extremely impatient!). Especially if you use a matte mod podge, you might be taken aback by the now milky white texture of your glitter paper, but don't worry! Like a good sealer it dries clear and allows the glitter to sparkle.
And that's it for this tutorial!! Making these were a little complicated for me at first, but I hope all my mess ups allow for you to have an easier time!
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